


puppies, featuring the cosmos

by utsu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Future, Astronomy, Dogs, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Future Fic, Humor, M/M, Pining, Puppies, Slow Build, hqss entry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-02 12:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2812280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/utsu/pseuds/utsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "I think your dog likes my dog AU"<br/>or</p>
<p>With Koushi at his side, everything from the sun to the stars to the skies over distant planets in unknown galaxies, all of it feels like belonging.</p>
<p>Koushi feels like home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	puppies, featuring the cosmos

Sawamura Daichi shows up twenty minutes late to his astronomy course with hair mussed, backpack falling off his shoulder, only one shoe on, and part of his pant leg wet with something that isn’t water. The professor doesn’t even acknowledge him when he enters and makes a beeline for a seat somewhere in the back but still on the door side of the room. He falls into his seat as quietly as possible, digging through his backpack and pulling out his textbook and notebook and searching valiantly for a pen or pencil. He’s certain that he’d put one in there before leaving the house but honestly a lot had happened between then and now that had thrown him off his normal schedule.

He’s elbow deep in his ripped up backpack and close to upturning the entire thing as his professor drones on about something called ablation, but then a hand comes into his line of sight and distracts him.

“Need a pen?” the guy asks, tone pitched low. Daichi glances up at him and smiles shyly, cheeks getting a little hot when his eyes focus on a fair-haired peer smiling over at him.

“Thanks,” he says, taking the extended pen and bowing his head slightly.

The guy only smiles wider, eyes softening. He says, “No problem.”

Daichi stares into his dusty brown eyes and completely forgets about his own appearance, getting a little caught up in the softness of those eyes and the gentle curve of his smile. When his professor starts explaining that conjunction occurs when two or more celestial objects appear close together in the sky, Daichi realizes that he’s staring and wonders if that’s considered rude when the person he’s staring at is staring _back_.

Flustered and a little perplexed with his own feelings, he turns back to his notebook and meticulously takes notes for the rest of the hour. He tries, he really, really tries to distract himself from thinking about the guy next to him, to focus on astronomy and actually learn the terms because they had an exam coming up, but every definition felt stale in comparison to the gentleness of that guy’s gaze. Daichi’s trying so hard to pretend that he’s taking notes and focusing on the material that by the time the professor wishes them a good and safe weekend he’s still writing down the last of a definition, hunched over his notebook like it’s a secret.

He hears the guy rustling in his backpack for a bit as everyone stands to leave, is overly aware of the way he seems to be lingering back, and then he’s hoisting his backpack over his shoulder and moving behind Daichi with sure steps.

Daichi doesn’t watch him leave the room but he does glance over to his empty desk and the three pens that are lying perfectly aligned on the edge closest to Daichi.

He smiles.

 

✧

 

Daichi had thought that he was prepared, _more_ than prepared; he’d purchased books, he’d researched on the Internet, he’d even contacted others and asked for tips. He purchased the proper necessities and he arranged his home accordingly, moving things around and making space as was needed.

He was not prepared.

Not for a purebred Labrador puppy and especially not for one as passionately into chewing on things and rage pooping in kitchens as Captain was. Daichi had fallen in love with him the moment he’d seen pictures from the breeder, heart swelling with joy, daydreaming about going on runs together and playing gently and maybe, just maybe, snuggling together on Daichi’s bed.

Instead he was faced with a puppy that runs _him_ around the paths, who doesn’t seem to know that gentleness is even a _thing_ , and thinks snuggling means trying to bite Daichi in tender places before heading towards the arms of his couch with razor-sharp teeth bared threateningly. Captain is still the most adorable puppy that Daichi has ever seen, even with all of his horrendous behavior, and that isn’t to say that he isn’t a good dog. He is just a handful, maybe two handfuls, maybe Daichi needs more hands to measure how many handfuls Captain is, honestly.

But sometimes when Daichi goes on runs with him and is dragged ahead by a tight leash and a sprinting puppy, Captain will come home exhausted and sleep like an angel. Daichi can’t deny that those are his favorite moments so far; when Captain falls asleep on his back with his little paws bent over his chest, legs spread-eagle. Sleeping means no biting, no chewing, and no barking, which Daichi is very appreciative of.

He’s a university student after all, he needs some peace and quiet sometimes to study and stay sane. So that is sort of how Daichi learns to study in the dark early hours of the morning when Captain is still unconscious and not wreaking havoc on Daichi’s small house. It is also how Daichi learns to take frequent naps and how he’s learned that silence in any timeframe that isn’t the early morning means that something is being eaten or destroyed.

“Captain, _please_ ,” Daichi moans, crouching a little as he holds out Captain’s collar, trying to convince him to maybe _stop_ jumping around like Daichi is trying to capture him and take him to the vet. Captain’s barks are still high-pitched enough to really hurt the ears, making Daichi flinch whenever his little teeth snap together. One of Daichi’s eye muscles begins to twitch.

Deciding on another plan of attack, he lets himself fold down into a sitting position on the ground, keeping the blue collar in his lap and not looking at Captain, who is still wagging his tail and darting towards Daichi and immediately away before he even has a chance to grab him.

“You peed on my leg on my first day of class, cut me some slack this once and let me put your collar on.” Daichi complains, frowning. He watches the way that Captain approaches him when he thinks he isn’t looking, full-speed and mouth open wide for a bite. Daichi brings the collar up and around Captain’s neck and takes a pinching bite in the peck for his trouble, grunting at the pain of it, but then he hears the resounding snap of the buckle sliding into place and laughs victoriously.

“Ha!” he chirps, grinning even as Captain continues to try to playfully bite him. Playful or not, those puppy teeth are _lethal_. Hooking a finger gently under the collar and pulling the little bundle of energy over to the leash, he clips it into place and gets to his feet, watching as Captain aims for his shoes instead of his knees.

“You’re so cute but you’re so scary,” Daichi admits, watching Captain’s attacks get more and more ornery as he tries to chew on Daichi’s laces. He sighs, glancing up and jingling his keys in his pocket just to make sure that he has them. He ushers Captain towards the door and locks up behind them, realizing that he’s forgotten to stretch and quickly debating whether he’d rather have that come back to bite him in the butt later or literally get bitten in the butt if he is to try to stretch right now with an overactive Captain tugging at the leash.

He decides on the former, smiling fondly at his little adorable terror.

“We’re gonna go for a run now!” he sings, watching Captain’s ears perk forward, tongue lolling out excitedly. Unable to resist, he leans down and pets Captain’s brown coat, giving a few tiny tickling squeezes to his puppy chub before heading down his short driveway to the sidewalk. He adjusts his jacket a little, surprised but not discomfited by the cold breeze. He isn’t worried about being cold, not when he’ll be running the entire time, his body working up a sweat and working to cool him down. There is also no way he’s going to wear pants because Captain likes to snap at the ankles and Daichi has fallen more times than he’d like to remember, in public places, in front of people.

He turns to Captain again and gives him a long-suffering look. “A _long_  run.”

 

✧

 

Initially, Daichi’s plan had been to run through the park without stopping to let Captain play with any of the other dogs until he’s a little less energetic, but there are just _so many dogs_ that it is literally impossible for him not to stop. Given that it is a dog park and it is massive in size, the amount of dogs present this Saturday morning isn’t really surprising, though it is a little overwhelming nonetheless.

The park is divided into a small dogs section and a big dogs section; each side a hill-covered grassy landscape wide enough for any stage of fetch to take place. It never ceases to make Daichi laugh when an owner throws a ball and twenty dogs go running after it. Dogs are obviously allowed to go off of their leashes since the park is caged in and there is no chance of them getting away or even anywhere near a street. Captain is still a little too young and a little too poor of a listener to be let off of his leash just yet, but Daichi tries his best to let him sniff and get sniffed by as many dog friends as possible.

A mighty bark he may have, but for all he is worth Captain is actually kind of a coward. He turns docile in the face of any dog that gets too close and hides behind Daichi’s legs when they seem a little more on the cantankerous side. He is very fond of watching the other dogs play fetch but never seems inclined to join, which Daichi is a little thankful for since he is still on the leash.

Captain is currently sniffing a German shepherd’s butt with avid curiosity while Daichi wipes a trail of sweat from his nape, trying to calm his breathing after having run a mile to get to the park. He’s surprised that Captain is still energetic enough to go out of his way to sniff butts. Glancing around at the massive pack of dogs all chasing after one Frisbee as well as a small group of older women crowding around their tiny dogs on the other side of the fence, Daichi feels himself slowly begin to relax, even as his connection to the leash jerks and strains.

When he looks back to Captain he’s surprised to see a beautiful yellow Labrador with a black collar, maybe a year old, curiously sniffing at Captain’s neck. His eyes are an interesting shade of rusty green, simultaneously dark and bright. He’s the only dog around him and it he isn’t on a leash but his nature seems fairly docile for a Labrador puppy. Daichi is envious; whoever is this guy’s owner is a lucky, lucky person. Daichi watches the bigger puppy nose around Captain with a gentle kind of curiosity, almost as if he just wants to touch him, and the way that Captain seems completely unsure of the other dog’s motives.

As the little coward that he is, Captain usually doesn’t just stand there and let himself be sniffed and prodded for too long, not usually. However, he seems plenty okay with letting _this_ dog sniff and prod as much as his little heart desires, going so far as to playfully start to nip back. The moment Captain starts to nip and get playful is the exact moment that Daichi and the yellow Labrador puppy seem to be on the same exasperated page. It only lasts a brief moment, though, before the yellow Labrador is playing back, the two of them innocently rolling and wrestling together.

The sound of rapid footsteps approaching catches Daichi’s attention as the yellow Labrador bumps Captain with his shoulder and sends him into a flailing roll, following after him and sniffing at his bared belly when Captain shrinks under his searching nose.

“I’m sorry, is he playing too rough?” a panting voice asks, sounding familiar to Daichi’s ears. He glances up and has to do a double take when he recognizes the guy from his Astronomy class, the one with the gentle eyes and the soft smile. And the pens.

“Pepper, come,” he says, not even having to raise his voice to get his dog’s attention. Pepper’s ears perk up and he glances over to the guy but doesn’t listen; rather, he continues to happily nose at Captain’s exposed belly.

“Pepper!” the guy repeats, in a firmer tone. When Pepper still doesn’t obey, Daichi casts sympathetic eyes his way.

“Puppies.” he says, an answer in and of itself. “Mine’s the same way, doesn’t listen worth a damn.”

The guy gives him a kind look and says, “He’s actually a really good listener. Usually never disobeys.”

“Of course,” Daichi says, tone submerged in palpable disbelief.

The guy gives him a look; insists, “He _does_.”

Daichi throws his hands up defensively, laughing a little. “Whatever you say.”

Eyes narrowed distrustfully, the guy sighs and looks back at the puppies, watches them playing. Captain’s off his back now and is darting around and under Pepper like he’s a playground all his own. Daichi looks from the guy at his side and back to Pepper, wanting to laugh because that whole thing about dogs looking like their owners feels exponentially truer right now. Those strangely kind eyes, a bizarre shade of brown or gray that Daichi can’t quite put his finger on, have the same mysterious air as Pepper’s do.

Pepper has a beautiful face for a puppy, clearly a purebred, but he is far chubbier than his owner. In fact, this guy’s frame is thin and wiry with a delicate neck and jaw, his shoulders slender. Daichi’s eyes flicker over his track jacket and running pants, pausing for just a moment with burning cheeks and wide eyes when he realizes that he is paying too much attention to his hips than is probably acceptable.

“So,” Daichi clears his throat, a little awkwardly. “I don’t know if you remember me, but we’re in the same Astronomy class.”

The guy turns to him with this _look_ , something shrewd and amused and dangerous; Daichi feels the heat in his cheeks spread to the tips of his ears.

“I remember you,” he says, voice soft. “You had dog pee on your leg.”

Daichi’s entire face heats up so much he can feel a trickle of sweat already beading and falling down his nape. He lifts a hand to nervously scratch at his neck, laughing with eyes crinkled shut in utter embarrassment.

“Y-yeah, that was me,” he laughs, praying that one of those comets they’d learned so much about in class would find him and _destroy him_. He’d been hoping that no one would notice the fact that Captain had used his leg for potty training and he hadn’t had the time to change into a new pair of pants since Captain had been working furiously on one of his shoes already—even as he was heading out the front door.

The guy nods, still grinning in a way that Daichi resents but can’t find irritating. He turns completely to Daichi and bobs his head a little, realizing that he hasn’t introduced himself yet.

“I’m Sugawara Koushi, by the way.” His gaze is unwavering as he waits for Daichi’s response. Daichi, however, keeps getting distracted by those eyes and the intangible power within them that keep locking him into place and making him lose his train of thought.

“Ah, I’m Sawamura Daichi. Nice to meet you.” He pretends that he hadn’t almost forget his own name, because _honestly_.

“Nice to meet you.” Koushi returns, and his gaze traces the line of Daichi’s shoulders in a way that has Daichi swallowing, heavily. He turns back to look at their dogs and feels his eyebrows hitch up in surprise when he finds them lying down together, side by side, noses so close they are almost pressed together. Daichi has never, ever seen Captain lie down at the dog park, especially not when another dog is so close to him. And even more surprising than that, which is already hard enough to believe, is the fact that Pepper seems to genuinely like Captain’s company. They look so comfortable with one another it’s as though they’ve been playmates for years.

“So,” he begins, nervously filling the space between them. Koushi cocks his head to the side, glancing back to Daichi with a warm expression. “I think your dog likes my dog.”

Koushi laughs, bringing a fist up in front of his mouth. When he looks back up at Daichi, the sun catches in his eyes and seems to stay, turning dusty brown into this magnificent liquid gold that Daichi still can’t find a proper name for.

“Seems that way, doesn’t it?” he smiles, tucking his hands into his pockets. There’s something about the way he keeps looking at Daichi from under his eyelashes that has Daichi’s heart pounding strong enough for him to hear it in his ears.

“Mm,” he hums, because anything else might’ve come out shaky. His mind works like an old model’s engine trying to start as he thinks of something else to say, but when he glances nervously back to the dogs the words in his mind dissipate and all he can get out is a garbled, “Oh no! Don’t—”

Captain has gotten up from his relaxed position and is nonchalantly pooping right next to Pepper. Koushi’s laughter rings out like bells, his eyes squinting with the force of his smile as Daichi leaps forward and bags the poop before anyone can see. There isn’t exactly a no-pooping rule within the park so long as you clean up after your dog, but the people who frequented the park (and in Daichi’s mind are known as ‘regulars’) always seem to give him dirty looks whenever Captain decides to desecrate the sacred dog park with his waste.

Koushi, still laughing a little under his breath, pulls a retractable leash from his pocket. The moment he gets close to Pepper, the yellow Labrador’s tail begins wagging and he’s on his feet, flitting about happily until Koushi tells him to sit and he actually _listens_. Daichi watches with wide eyes as Koushi baby talks Pepper in congratulations, looking both ways conspicuously before reaching into his other pocket and producing a dog treat that he must’ve been avidly hiding. He glances over his shoulder and winks at Daichi, which is both the silliest and unexpectedly cutest gestures Daichi has ever seen.

He wonders if it was because he had a secret thing for winks or if it’s just because Koushi had been the one to do it because, well. Daichi is beginning to realize that he is a little more interested in Koushi than originally thought—like, really interested.

Interested enough that he had ogled his butt and still had fond feelings about three pens he has back in his backpack.

Once Pepper is properly leashed Koushi finds himself watching Daichi struggle to leash a rejuvenated and re-energized post-poop Captain with quiet grumbles and groans and a poop bag swinging on his wrist. He can’t contain a few quiet laughs when the puppy has his butt in the air and his front paws lying on the ground, happily wagging his tail in the face of Daichi’s failures. Deciding to take pity on him, Koushi tells Pepper to sit and stay, placing the leash beside him as he turns back to Captain and an exasperated Daichi with a smile.

“Captain, come.” He says, surprising Daichi, who in turn only raises a brow at him. It’s clear he doesn’t think that Captain is going to obey him, given that he’s a stranger and that he doesn’t even listen to _Daichi_ , his owner. Koushi’s smile turns a little wicked, though, because he has something Daichi doesn’t. Reaching into his pocket and palming a dog treat, he steps towards Captain and shows him the treat, not having to look at Daichi to know that his eyes are wide with understanding.

He repeats himself once more, now with treat in hand, pointing to his feet; “Captain, _come_.”

Captain wags his head a little but the moment he gets a whiff of the treat he goes to Koushi immediately, stepping on his feet and jumping up for the treat.

“Good boy,” he praises, placing the treat at Captain’s feet and petting his soft coat. He glances up to a scowling Daichi, whose eyes are narrowed and everything. He shrugs carelessly, smirking.

“You should really think about buying some treats and training him.” He admits, giving Daichi a pathetic look. Daichi rolls his eyes before going visibly rigid. Before Koushi can ask what _that_ is all about, he watches as Daichi grabs his leash and swiftly clips it into place on Captain’s collar while he finishes up his treat. Koushi snorts, shaking his head when Daichi’s head lifts and his expression is the purest echelon of triumphant.

“Treats, yeah,” he admits with pursed lips, head nodding. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“I’m full of ‘em,” Koushi suddenly says, surprising Daichi enough to make him hitch his eyebrows up, deep brown eyes wide and earnest in his curiosity. “Great ideas.” Koushi clarifies, laughing delightedly. Daichi can’t look away from him, not when he’s so bright and happy and positive like this. He feels like he’s looking at the pictures in his Astronomy book of far-off galaxies, eyes wide as they trace the mysteriously beautiful depths of them on each page, knowing that he’ll never truly understand how they can be so stunning and so inexplicable.

“Really,” Daichi hums, a little skeptical, a little out of his league. He isn’t good at flirting—because that’s what this is, right? Koushi is definitely flirting with him. He is definitely smiling at him enough to think he is at least decent looking, right? Daichi isn’t just imagining these things. His eyes narrow, studying Koushi’s expression a little more closely, trying to read between the lines and make sure that he isn’t just building upon something that doesn’t even have a foundation.

Koushi smirks and it’s like the beginning of a wildfire, quick and bright and hot.

He says, “You’ll see.”

He’s _definitely_ flirting.

 

✧

 

The following Wednesday Daichi is early to Astronomy, so much so that he’s actually the first one there, earlier than even the professor. He heads for his seat in the back, the one he knows is right beside Koushi’s seat, and he gets himself prepared for class.

When Koushi walks through the door—five minutes early and perfectly refined—Daichi tries not to stare. Koushi catches his gaze anyways and smiles, moving a little more quickly to his seat, the breeze accompanying him as he walks past Daichi smelling like something surprisingly…spicy. Daichi quirks a brow.

“Hey,” Koushi breathes, sliding into his seat and leaning forward, body geared in Daichi’s direction over his desk. “How are you?”

Daichi settles back into his seat, shoulders relaxing from their tense hold. “Good, except for that whole thing where Captain decided to use one of my sandals as a chew toy this morning.”

“Mm,” Koushi hums, eyes bright. “At least it wasn’t your running shoes?”

“True,” Daichi concedes, nodding his head. He crosses his arms over his chest and has to keep reminding himself not to stare at the way Koushi’s lips twist, sly and amused and completely adorable. They fall into conversation like they’ve known each other for years, hushing to silence when the professor calls for everyone’s attention and starts talking about supernovas. Daichi finds the topic interesting enough to actually, legitimately pay attention; the pen clutched in his fingers slides across the page, taking diligent notes.

Koushi’s staring at him, wondering how he can’t tell, how he can’t _feel_ Koushi’s eyes on his shoulders, his arms, the hand wrapped around one of the pens Koushi had left for him. A fond smile slips over his face, one hand lifting to hide it as he turns back to the professor and his presentation. His mind never leaves the thought of Daichi’s hand wrapped so tightly around that pen, or the way it makes his forearm—strong and firm and dangerous—flex for the rest of the period. His heart races a rapid beat, his blood heating under his skin.

Supernovas, Koushi thinks.

Interesting.

 

✧

 

Daichi doesn’t exactly _plan_ to run into Koushi at the dog park, but, well. He’s there and he’s been there for quite a while and Captain is doing that thing where he hides behind Daichi’s legs and Daichi’s starting to feel ridiculous because what if he isn’t even coming? It’s a Friday, maybe he‘s out doing the ordinary college thing like drinking and dancing and having a good time with friends. Maybe he was just tired and he didn’t want to go on a walk with Pepper today. Maybe he just doesn’t like to go to the park on Fridays.

Daichi deflates, frowning at himself and feeling a little like a fool. He inhales and smiles down at Captain fondly, telling him that they should probably get back home. He’s just about to take a step in the right direction when he hears a familiar jingle, turns and sees a familiar yellow lab trotting his way.

They way Daichi’s heart swells in his chest is the most ridiculous thing of all. He glances up and over Pepper and sees a smiling Koushi, hands in his pockets and head ducked a little with shyness, looking like the most beautiful thing Daichi’s ever seen. The sun’s beaming on him like a spotlight, casting a glow around his shoulders and his neck and Daichi feels his hands shaking.

“Hey,” Koushi says lightly as he approaches, stopping close enough at Daichi’s side that their hips touch.

“Hey,” Daichi returns, beaming. He doesn’t say _where were you_ , or _I thought you wouldn’t come_ , but it’s dangerously close to the tip of his tongue. He swallows it back down uncomfortably, wondering where all of his control has gone. Pepper is playfully leaping around a slightly more energetic Captain, nudging the smaller, darker dog with his nose and bouncing away before Captain can land a nudge of his own. They circle one another, swift and reckless, at one time barreling into Daichi’s legs and pushing him into Koushi’s chest.

Koushi’s arms come out and steady him, a bubbly laugh spilling from his lips as Daichi glances up at him, wide-eyed and flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, getting his legs back about him and glancing with comically narrowed eyes at the two dogs still roughhousing over to the side. When he turns his attention back to Koushi, he realizes that his hands are still on Daichi’s arms, gentle but firm, skin to skin. Koushi waits until he looks him in the eyes before responding, his gaze unwavering, smile pleasant.

“It’s no problem,” he says, low and quiet. Daichi feels chills race down his spine and wonders why it feels like the areas where Koushi had touched him were the hottest of all. He’s never believed in love at first sight or the whole electric current running through one another upon a simple touch thing—but if this is a form of _that_ then maybe he has some thinking to do, because this? This is something new. Something bizarre and powerful and suddenly all Daichi can think about are supernovas.

A cataclysmic explosion caused when a star exhausts its fuel and ends its life, the most powerful force in the universe.

He wonders if love is supposed to feel like supernovas on the inside of his chest, if the white-hot lights he has to blink away whenever Koushi smiles at him are the explosions and the drumming of his pulse in his throat, his wrists, his neck, is that the aftershocks? Is he alive with supernovas exploding inside of him every time he looks at Koushi and thinks he’s never wanted someone to know him more than he has now?

Shaking his head slightly and forcing himself to take a step back, breaking their connection and watching as Koushi’s hands fell, carefully tucking themselves into his pockets before tilting his head a little at Daichi’s expression, Daichi feels breathless.

“Hey,” Koushi clears his throat, looking a little nervous for the first time since Daichi’s met him. “Would you wanna exchange numbers? So we could walk Pepper and Captain together sometimes?”

“Sure, yeah,” Daichi answers, far too quickly, his cheeks filling with heat. He pulls his phone from his pocket and pretends like he hasn’t been waiting for this, wanting Koushi to take the next step and show him that this is more than just a classmates only kind of thing.

Daichi hasn’t even really known until this moment with supernovas in his mind his heart his veins that he wants it to be more.

Once they’ve exchanged information, both smiling a little nervously, they turn back to their dogs. Captain is on his back again, submissive with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth while Pepper sniffs his chest and belly.

“Pepper really does like Captain,” Daichi laughs, crossing his arms over his wide chest and grinning down at the two Labradors. He can feel Koushi’s gaze turn to him, staring hard into the side of his face. Daichi can feel that gaze like a tangible line going through him, just as he had in the classroom a few days prior, when Koushi had stared at him and Daichi had _known_ it was because he was using the pen Koushi left for him. But he doesn’t turn to look at him, can’t make himself do it. He just burns under the heat of it, waiting for Koushi to respond, voice gentle and low.

He says, “He does.” Then he turns completely to face Daichi, opening his body language to Daichi’s appraisal and how can he refuse that? He glances up and catches that gaze, dusty, rusty gold, and then those lips, light pink and chapped and opening around words he can barely hear.

“He really, _really_ does.”

 

✧

 

Before they know it, weekly dog park visits become a thing and by the time midterms roll around Daichi is far more familiar with Koushi than he’d ever thought he could be. He’s learned that he likes several different kinds of sports, though he favors playing volleyball, and that he’d been a decent setter in high school. He is a little self-conscious about his height and his skin burns easily under the sun. He isn’t a morning person, though Daichi is still a little skeptical of that bit of information since they have a morning class together and he has yet to see a grumpy mood from the guy. He’d been delighted to learn that Koushi is an enthusiastic and efficient cook; he finds out the hard way that Koushi is also incredibly enthusiastic about adding spices. To everything.

_Everything_.

They fit together seamlessly, like the interlacing of fingers when holding hands. Not that Daichi is thinking about what it would feel like to hold Koushi’s hand, of course.

A slight breeze flips a page of Daichi’s astronomy book as he and Koushi sit together, studying in the dog park while Captain and Pepper race around and make friends and enemies of the other dogs. Pepper’s presence is like a soothing balm on Captain’s energy, calming him and making him feel more comfortable amongst the other dogs. He’s even tried playing with a few others, though he always seems to stick close to Pepper’s side.

Daichi is currently trying to convince himself that he is glancing periodically at Koushi’s face when he is supposed to be _studying_ because he wants to see how he is interpreting their dogs’ behavior together. It is pretty obvious that Daichi’s intentions are transparent, however, when Koushi glances up at the exact moment that Daichi does, catching and holding his eyes with a shy smile.

“So how’s it going?” Koushi asks, and there’s this gleam in his eyes that Daichi notices sometimes when he’s fairly certain Koushi knows something about him he doesn’t really want him to know. He has a way of looking into Daichi and reading him like he’s an open book, even when Daichi tries to hide his secrets behind titanium walls.

“It’s going,” he sighs, flipping back the page the wind had turned for him. “It feels like light years have passed since this class began, honestly. And yet the end is nowhere in sight.”

Koushi’s eyes sparkle with amusement at the unintentional pun, his lips curling up at the edges. With the slight wind chill there’s an accompanying flush to Koushi’s fair skin that has Daichi’s breath knotting in his chest, pushing at his ribs, making his chest feel tight and warm and quite like it’s harboring a secret. Well, he sort of _is_.

Or so he keeps telling himself, until he looks up into amused eyes the color of space dust and thinks maybe, just maybe, he’s been had. Maybe somewhere along the line (day one) he tripped up, made a mistake, showed his true colors too soon too clearly and Koushi has been hot on his trail ever since.

Is that something that Koushi is interested in? Sometimes it‘s hard to tell. Daichi prides himself as being an intuitive guy; he gets good marks and he has never really struggled too much over complex equations—no more and no less than the next person. But with Koushi, sometimes he feels like he is a doe being told to climb a tree, unstable, wobbly doe legs fumbling beneath him, wide-eyed and breathless as he approaches an impossible feat.

But it isn’t actually, totally, impossible, is it? Koushi, well, sometimes he looks at Daichi and he feels like he is the warm touch of summer, the first rain of spring, the brightest and most beautiful flower pushing through the earth the day the snow starts to clear. Sometimes Koushi looks at Daichi and he feels a little transcendent, like he belongs somewhere up amongst the stars and the meteors—somewhere darker and brighter and the ultimate expression of remarkable.

Looks like that definitely mean that there is interest, right? Daichi doesn’t want to be grasping at straws here, he wants to have something solid founding his feelings. He wants reciprocation and he wants to just, not be rejected, or ridiculed. It’s not like this is his first crush, but there is something different about this one, something _more_ , and it makes it all the more terrifying.

“Are you really not enjoying it?” Koushi asks, raising a brow. Daichi chews on his lip a little, pretending to contemplate that question. He definitely enjoys getting to sit next to Koushi, spending time with him and learning his quirks and his mannerisms, and sometimes they lean close together and share notes with their shoulders touching and well, that’s nice too. The whole astronomy thing isn’t exactly terrible either.

“I guess it’s okay,” he says, tone muted. “I just never thought there’d be so much math in an astronomy class.”

Koushi leans back a little, contentedly stretching his shoulders. There’s laughter in his eyes and when he speaks it’s in his words, too.

“Did you expect we’d just go hang out at night, lying back and looking at the stars?”

Daichi’s spine straightens like someone’s pulled his string taut, eyes wide and mouth dropping open in a little gape. His eyes come back to Koushi’s and he realizes how strange his reaction must have looked, but there are images playing out behind his eyes that he cannot ignore, like—

Like lying side by side with Koushi under a blanket of stars and black velvet atmosphere, hands laced together, breath intermingling above them.

“Yeah,” he breathes, nodding his head as Koushi’s inquisitive brow rises up once again. “Yeah I was actually expecting that. Hey, so, listen, is that a thing you’d be interested in doing?”

There’s no finesse to the query but Daichi is so excited about the prospect of it that he doesn’t much care. His cheeks are hotter than normal and he can feel heat rising along the nape of his neck, the itch to rub nervously at the baby hairs there real in his muscle memory, but he remains unmoving under Koushi’s abruptly analytical gaze. The more Koushi stares at him the more aware of his own body he becomes; the cords of his neck, the heaviness of his shoulders, the way his diaphragm expands and contracts with every breath.

When Daichi has the thought that he’s glad he didn’t hold his breath for this, Koushi finally responds with a gradually rising grin, softer than his others, with less amusement and more sincerity.

“Of course,” he says, like it is that easy. Like the bastion of Daichi’s feelings haven’t been handed to Koushi, lying bare in his hands, completely at his will. “I’d love to!”

“You would,” Daichi says, almost to himself as he feels a smile start to form. Then, with a stronger tone laced with excitement, “You would?”

“Yes, Daichi. I would.” Koushi’s tone is patient and tender and it makes Daichi swallow, his cheeks heat a little more.

“Awesome,” he whispers, bobbing his head and reaching a hand up to scratch at a sideburn. “That’s really awesome.”

“So,” Koushi laughs, low and quiet and still in that same fond tone that is warming every corner of Daichi’s chest like Koushi has the blueprints to the place. “Friday evening okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” And he smiles at Koushi, gaze unwavering for the first time in a long time, so happy he can’t look away even if he had wanted to. Koushi returns the expression, mirrors it with a uniquely beautiful twist, and reaches across the table to put one hand over Daichi’s. His palm is surprisingly warm, his skin impossibly soft, but Daichi’s too distracted by the fact that this was sort of like holding hands, right? Sort of, but not quite right.

Daichi isn’t exactly a perfectionist, but he does like consistency. He likes order; he’s _good_ at order.

So really, it’s only a matter of aesthetic cohesion when he bends his wrist back and laces their fingers together so that they are totally, without a doubt, holding hands.

All at once Daichi’s shoulders no longer feel heavy, his chest feels warm and big and safe, and their fingers fit like there are blood red strings sealing them together, as strong and as old as time itself.

 

✧

 

Friday morning rolls around far quicker than Daichi is prepared for with surprise after surprise set in store for his normal routine; the butterflies in his stomach upon waking are one thing, the jitters crawling under his skin another. Even Captain seems to sense the excitement, though he clearly has no idea that he is being temporarily left behind on this date. Daichi is fairly certain that Captain thinks he’s going out on a date with Pepper tonight, what with the way he hasn’t chewed on something all morning and Daichi’s sneakers are not covered in dog pee when he leaves the house.

He really had hated to break it to the little guy but this is definitely a situation where he needs alone time with Koushi.

_Alone time with Koushi_. Even thinking about it makes his hands quiver, nerves strung taut like tethers holding him to the ground, his heart a racing drum line in his chest. He gets ready for class as normally as he can, trying to ignore the way everything suddenly feels special and new and important, like even his wardrobe has some strange say in how this date is going to go.

Every minute of class had been spent with Daichi flicking intermittent glances in Koushi’s direction, catching his eyes and smiling shyly in response, as if they’ve never even met before, as if they haven’t made a routine of walking their dogs at the park together and discussing everything from university to animals to the dust between the stars that are in some ways a part of their very makeup. The thrill of having a date, of knowing that soon they’ll be alone together with no one there to distract them from their own thoughts and feelings about one another is as terrifying as it is exciting.

When class ended Koushi had stood first, as he always did, and bent down into Daichi’s personal space, a breeze of apples and cinnamon that’s so familiar to Daichi he’s beyond certain that he could identify it anywhere, and said, “See you tonight, Daichi. I can’t wait.”

Hours later when the sun is still making its way over the mountains and the sky is a gradient of colors bleeding into one another, Daichi and Koushi sit side-by-side with their shoulders touching on an outspread blanket. Koushi had brought a canister of hot chocolate, which Daichi found incredibly cute until he tried to drink some of it too soon and burned the tip of his tongue. Koushi had laughed at him almost as much as he fussed over him, asking if he was okay and if he needed ice. Daichi, with burnt taste buds and pride, declined the offer and stared up at the sky with enough intensity he hoped that Koushi followed his lead, especially if that meant Koushi couldn’t see his blushing cheeks. Unsurprisingly, Koushi’s gaze, soft and adoring, had stayed on Daichi’s face, watching his cheeks pool darker and darker with more heat.

Eventually Koushi had finally changed the subject from Daichi’s apparent thirst and resulting haste to drink the hot chocolate to something a little lighter and more comfortable: their dogs. And then somehow from their dogs their conversation jumped topics so many times Daichi still isn’t really sure how it all relates, though he’s definitely not questioning it.

The night is cooling rapidly by the time the sun finally falls behind the mountains and the sky shifts into a deep velvet through which the stars finally begin to show, blinking bright and clear overhead. When Koushi bursts out laughing at something Daichi says, he can’t help but smile, feeling a little smug. Koushi laughs with his entire body; he grasps at his stomach, tears streaming from his eyes as his body shakes around every burst. He looks up at Daichi and tries to catch his breath, shaking his head almost disbelievingly as a tear trail makes its way down his face, over the soft curve of his cheek and down the rounded edge of his jaw. Daichi thinks he sees stars reflected in Koushi’s eyes and wonders how that’s even possible but he doesn’t question it, only thinks that it’s fitting, that Koushi, who is gentle and funny and strong and compassionate to a fault is the only person alive that can capture the greater unknown in unfathomable irises and make it belong.

Daichi’s blushing, he knows it and Koushi knows it, but he feels like he’s on top of the world and not a single thing can bring him down, his confidence pushing along every line of him, laced in his bloodstream until he’s reaching out without really even thinking about it, the pad of his thumb wiping away the tear track left behind on Koushi’s cheek.

Koushi’s lips, which had at once been smiling in amusement, utterly charmed, slowly drop until his mouth opens around an almost inaudible breath. His eyes, wide rustic golden gray shift and stare into the deep brown pools of Daichi’s with an intensity that he feels all the way to the foundation of his soul. It shakes him; it does something to his heart, to his mind, beckons the breath right out of his lungs and leaves behind the taste of belonging.

Koushi brings the hand that’s not supporting his weight up across his body and cups Daichi’s hand over his cheek where it has not moved away, his eyes sliding closed as he leans further into the touch. Daichi can hear nothing but the fervent pounding of his pulse in his ears, can feel nothing but the peach fuzz of Koushi’s smooth cheek and jaw, the silky fray of Koushi’s hair carded through the tips of Daichi’s fingers.

“Daichi,” he says, and his eyes open with renewed fervor, bright and tender and everything Daichi had never believed he’d ever see reflected back at him; not when those eyes are showing him exactly what he knows his own are showing Koushi. “I really, really like you.”

Daichi finds himself a little breathless again, struggling to quell the fluttering in his stomach that makes him want to lean forward, to press his lips to Koushi’s and see if he tastes as sweet as he acts, as he _looks_. But Daichi knows better than that: firstly, he doesn’t want to rush anything with Koushi, doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable with any forward behavior, and secondly, there is no way in the world that Koushi tastes like anything but spice and heat.

So instead of leaning forward those few inches, he says, “I really like you too.”

“Good,” Koushi hums, his smile reigniting like a comet flashing across his features, over his lips and into his eyes, fusing with the stars still stuck in limbo amongst the gold of his irises. And then in a tone that’s so soft and warm there really isn’t any way Daichi can even think to refuse it, he asks, “Hey Daichi, can I kiss you?”

“Yeah,” Daichi whispers, flushed red probably all the way to his toes. He clenches his jaw, wants to lift a hand up to press over his heart in a vain attempt to bring it back down to a normal pace that isn’t racing, and adds, “You don’t have to ask.”

“Yeah, I do,” Koushi smiles, softening the response. And then he leans forward, pauses for a breath to hover over Daichi’s lips, his magnificent eyes flickering to both of Daichi’s, watching him as he finally dips forward that little bit more until his lips are pressing to Daichi’s. Daichi lets himself be kissed, slow and tender, for the briefest of moments before he brings his other hand up to cup Koushi’s face, his lips moving under the ministrations of Koushi’s, his eyes pressed tightly closed.

Daichi feels like he’s been waiting for the burn of this kiss his entire life, that they had both known it was coming but it was so faraway, a distant meteor approaching their orbit, trying to break through the atmosphere and crash land between them. Daichi kisses Koushi and is unsurprised when he sees stars, feels the molten magmatic movement of something unfathomable slipping into place inside his heart, like the missing piece of a long-forgotten puzzle, dusted off and laid out before him, finally returned home.

Daichi is the first to pull back, their breaths mingling together in the cold night air, both of them smiling, shy and flushed and feeling so significant there, captured in one another’s gaze. The world around them continues to spin, the stars still flickering bright and brighter, the galaxy and the universe operating as mechanisms outside of their control and their knowledge and their reach, but all of that is all right.

Locked in Koushi’s forthright gaze with their breaths meeting between them and their fingers lacing together beside them as Koushi scoots forward and nestles himself in Daichi’s side, both of them look up into the vast unknown of the star-speckled night sky and everything in the universe suddenly feels at home.

Even if the both of them are tiny specks of dust and bone in a world of specks, in a galaxy of specks, in a universe of specks, there is a cohesiveness that Daichi can appreciate and willingly fall into when Koushi is involved.

With Koushi at his side, everything from the sun to the stars to the skies over distant planets, all of it feels like belonging.

Koushi feels like home.

 

✧

 

One year later.

 

“I’m home!” Koushi calls from the front door, dropping his bag by the wall as a loud one-two boom and the following sound of a stampede coming from the master bedroom and down the hallway greets him in a flurry of fluff and paws and wet tongues. Koushi coos at Captain and Pepper, allowing them to tackle him to the ground and cover him in slobbery kisses.

Laughing and spluttering as they bark happily at him, he asks, “Were you on our bed again?”

“Of course not,” a new voice responds as Daichi comes walking around the corner, rubbing the back of his neck in a way that has Koushi raising a single eyebrow suspiciously. Daichi doesn’t meet his eyes, looking sketchy and like he’s definitely in cahoots with a pair of slobbery troublemakers. “No dogs on the bed. We know the rules.”

“Really,” Koushi emphasizes, staring his partner down. Daichi makes the mistake of meeting his eyes and is ensnared within an instant, unable to glance away. A small smile creeps up over his face, inexorable.

“Welcome home, Koushi.” Unable to ignore that sweet tone, Koushi sighs and trudges his way up off the ground and through the dog pile he had succumbed to. He walks into Daichi’s open arms and snuggles against his chest, pressing his nose to the folds of his old-man pajamas and breathing in the fresh scent of him. Daichi’s arms come around him and hold him close, his lips pressing a loving kiss to the crown of his head before he begins nuzzling at Koushi’s ear.

“You just woke up,” Koushi states, in no way accusing. He grins.

Daichi makes a face against the side of Koushi’s head, hum resonating in his chest. “Ah, yeah. Slow morning today, my bad.”

“You were in our bed,” Koushi continues, nuzzling closer into the wide expanse of Daichi’s chest, eyes sliding shut and smile growing.

“Uh, yeah. Where else would I be?” Daichi leans back a little, waiting for Koushi to pull his head up and see his confused expression, lips quirked and eyebrows raised. Koushi accommodates him, a smile slipping across his expression, smug and amused.

He says, “Daichi, you smell like dogs.” He watches Daichi’s expression become like steel, hardening and matching the straightening of his posture. He glances down to their feet where Captain and Pepper are wrestling, glances back at Koushi and shrugs his heavy shoulders.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, and loosens his hold from Koushi in order to head towards the kitchen. “I’m gonna make lunch. You want lunch?”

Koushi laughs and it sounds like how sunshine feels, warming Daichi from the inside out. Koushi reaches down and pets their dogs, rubbing at floppy ears and gently patting at their shoulders. “Yeah, I’ll take some lunch. Thank you.”

He hears Daichi hum in response, already in the kitchen, head in the fridge. He pulls out several ingredients for sandwiches and Koushi watches him from the doorway for a few seconds, eyes tracing over his butt when he bends low to get some lettuce from the bottom drawer. He pushes away from the doorframe and comes up behind Daichi as he begins chopping some tomatoes by the sink, standing on the tips of his toes so as to rest his chin on Daichi’s shoulder, his hands coming to rest lightly on his sides.

“Do you need any help?” he asks, watching the steady way Daichi’s hands handle the tomatoes and the knife.

“Sure,” Daichi says, smiling. “Wanna make fruit salad?”

“Got it,” Koushi responds, giving his sides a gentle squeeze before heading over to the fridge to get out the necessary fruits. It doesn’t take them long to finish preparing the food, or to eat it all, for that matter. Before long they’re lounging on the couch watching TV, with Koushi curled up against Daichi’s side and Daichi’s arm curled around his shoulders. Captain and Pepper, who are definitely not allowed on the couch, are lying on either side of them, on the couch, and sleeping so soundly that neither Koushi nor Daichi plans to move for the next few hours.

Neither of them is really paying attention to the TV, but rather to the way their hands are intertwined on Daichi’s thigh, the way that Daichi keeps smoothing his thumb along the skin of Koushi’s hand, the way Koushi keeps nuzzling in closer and closer to Daichi’s neck. They’re both warm and content and comfortable; both of them taking well to the domesticity of living together and seeing one another frequently. They have a more consistent dog-walking routine now, considering that they work similar hours, live together, and are usually close to inseparable.

All of this—the comfort and the love and being a _family_ —it’s all thanks to the astronomy class that neither of them had actually needed to take, but had chosen regardless, because for some reason the pull of the stars and the greater unknown had been too strong to resist. Daichi doesn’t know enough about astronomy to call himself an expert, not on stars or planets or comets or heat and the absence of it, but he does know one thing: that he loves Sugawara Koushi with every fiber of his terrestrial being and that Koushi loves him just the same.

And nothing, not even the unknown mechanisms of the greater working existence beyond their universe, could ever take that from them.

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't decide between writing about puppies and writing about space...so I wrote both.  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
